Retailers are struggling to meet the challenges brought about by increasing competition in the marketplace (Brynjolfsson et al., 2013). The target sector, automotive aftermarket, continues to fail to address the problems they will soon face due to changes in their market (Ramcharran, 2013). Experts believe retail’s lack of response is the driving force behind the trend of large chain retailers filing for bankruptcy or deciding to go out of business (Kestenbaum, 2017). In fact, experts believe an organization’s readiness to implement change can be the difference between success and insolvency (Vakola, 2013). Research completed by Ramcharran (2013) suggested these concepts are applicable to the automotive aftermarket.
This study was designed for the purpose of contributing to the body of literature regarding the efficacy of Christian centered servant leadership in facilitating organizational change in the automotive aftermarket. The coming section will include additional details about the study. This section will include the following information: purpose statement, role of the researcher, participants, research methods and design, population sampling, data collection, data analysis technique, and reliability and validity
Purpose Statement
The purpose of this qualitative, phenomenological study was to explore the insights and perceptions of individuals that have experienced change to organizational structure in the automotive aftermarket. Specifically, the focus was on change led by Christian servant leaders in an effort to provide business leaders with strategies and processes that can be used to more effectively facilitate such changes. The focus of this research study was front line retail
managers that experienced structural changes to their respective organizations under the tutelage of Christian servant leaders. Their perceptions of Christian servant leadership will indicate the
overall effectiveness of this style of leadership in facilitating structural change in an effort to sustain revenue (Creswell & Poth, 2018). The implications for such understanding can be greater loyalty of employees, greater performance of the firm, and more sustainable growth patterns for the organization (Clercq et al., 2014).
Role of the Researcher
In phenomenology, like other types of qualitative research, the researcher functions as the primary instrument for the purpose of data collection (Anney, 2014). In this study, the
researcher served a multitude of roles. First, the research designed questions that were asked during the interview process. Next, the researcher identified and contacted participants. The researcher also conducted interviews with participants. The researcher coded the interviews in order to identify any themes that were present. Finally, the researcher interpreted the results in an effort to determine how the information related to the proposed research questions that were included in section one.
In addition to these roles, the researcher has an obligation to conduct all research and data analysis in an ethical manner (Resnik, 2015). The researcher completed the Collaborative
Institutional Training Initiative (CITI) to perform non-invasive research involving human subjects.
Participants
In order to gain access to participants, the researcher used the online service, findparticipants.com. Using this service, the researcher was able to design the screening
criterion to ensure all study participants had the experiences necessary to provide insight into the target phenomenon. This service provided a list of individuals that had previously expressed interest in taking part in interviews such as the ones that were conducted to glean pertinent
information. Once identified, these individuals were contacted to set an appointment time and place. The interview took place at the convenience of the participant at his or her desired location.
Participants’ identifying information were kept confidential. The published study materials, reports, and notes did not include any information that would divulge the identity of participants. Transcripts were coded to allow for the identification of themes and facilitate data interpretation. Interview transcripts and coding were maintained on a password protected hard drive that is stored in a safe maintained by the researcher for three years. After three years, the files will be destroyed. In addition, participants were able to withdraw from the study at any time.
Research Method and Design
For this study, the researcher chose to use a qualitative method, phenomenological research design. In the coming section, there is a description of this method and design. Justification for having chosen this design was also discussed. In addition, the researcher provided his logic behind why a qualitative, phenomenological research design was well suited to gaining an understanding of the lived experiences of front line store managers in the
automotive aftermarket in the Triad region of North Carolina.
Method. The qualitative research method was chosen for this study. Using this method, the researcher sought to answer one or more research questions by gathering unstructured data gathered from study participants (Lewis, 2015). The data are gained through a series of
interviews (Venkatesh et al., 2013). For this study, the researcher conducted a series of face-to- face interviews to gain an understanding of the lived experiences of each study participant with regard to focused phenomenon. During each interview, the researcher took notes, recorded the
responses, and transcribed the interaction with the participant. Qualitative design is useful in this study because the researcher will ask open-ended questions to gain a rich understanding of the experiences and perspectives of the participants (Ingham-Broomfield, 2014).
Research Design. For this study, the researcher chose a phenomenological research design. Phenomenological research is well suited to applications where the researcher seeks to describe an experience rather than explain the underlying cause of the phenomenon (Waters, 2017). The core of the phenomenological design is the notion that within a set of shared experiences, there is an essence (Patton, 2014). In other words, individuals that experience the same phenomenon will have a number of similar reactions or thoughts. Phenomenology seeks to reduce those individual experiences to understanding the commonality of the experience; in doing so, researchers are able to discount individual nuances that are unique to a particular participant (Creswell & Poth, 2018).
Robison (2014) suggested that qualitative researchers use a minimum of 20 participants. This number allows the researcher to develop a rapport with the participants improving the overall quality of the exchange allowing for the researcher to glean better data (Robinson, 2014). Further, conducting at least 20 interviews serves to uncover individual bias and attitudes towards the target phenomenon (Austin, 2014). While saturation of data can occur with a smaller sample, around 12 participants, using 20 participants serves to ferret out bias that can be problematic in qualitative research (Latham, 2013). It should be noted that 20 participants is also a good number to mitigate nuances that occur due to participants varied background (Latham, 2013).
This study included 20 interviews conducted face-to-face. Prior researchers have found phenomenology to be well suited for gaining an in-depth insight in the efficacy of servant
gain in-depth information on the lived experiences of front line retail managers in the automotive aftermarket sector of the retail industry with respect to Christian centered servant leadership. The understanding gained can lead to greater loyalty of employees, greater performance of the firm, and more sustainable growth patterns for the organization (Clercq et al., 2014).
Population and Sampling
In this study, participants were selected from a purposive, criterion sample of adults in the Triad area of North Carolina who were front line store managers of retail chain stores in the automotive aftermarket. A purposive sample is comprised of individuals that can contribute pertinent information on the phenomenon that is the subject of this study (Lewis, 2015). In the case of a phenomenology, purposive sampling is found to be superior when compared to random sampling due to the increased quality of data (Barrat, Ferris, & Lenton, 2014). Purposive
sampling is recognized as appropriate for the selection of participants for qualitative studies that use interviews as the method of data collection (Cleary, Horsfall, & Hayter, 2014). Purposive sampling allows researchers the ability to choose study participants that have first-hand
knowledge regarding the target phenomenon (DeFeo, 2013). It is for this reason that a purpose sampling was well suited for this study.
Front line store managers in the automotive aftermarket will have knowledge of the effectiveness of various leadership styles in facilitating the changes necessary to ensure long- term viability. More specifically, criterion sampling was used. This type of sampling selects participants based on a predetermined set of attributes that will cause all participants to be a member of the target population (Bennot et al., 2016). The researcher did not include any requirements such as race and gender as these characteristics were beyond the scope of this study.
Various research methodologies require different sample sizes. In general, qualitative studies require smaller sample sizes than their quantitative counterparts (Boddy, 2016). Fewer study participants in qualitative research allows for a deeper inquiry into the experiences of each individual (Boddy, 2016). The important factor to look for in qualitative research is saturation; according to Merriam (2015), saturation can take place around the time the researcher has
conducted as few as 12 interviews. Saturation occurs when the researcher has conducted enough interviews to where there are no new themes found in subsequent interviews (Boddy, 2016).
Other researchers believe the qualitative studies should include between 15 and 30 participants (Marshall, Cardon, Poddar, & Fontenot, 2013). The underlying idea surrounding saturation is the results of the study become generalizable to individuals that are outside the study population (Boddy, 2016). The planned number of participants in this study was set at 20. However, the researcher was aware additional interviews may have been necessary if saturation was not reached.
Data Collection
Instruments. In qualitative research, it is common for the researcher to function as an essential piece of the data collection process. In fact, the researcher is the primary individual collecting data (Moustakas, 1994). To gain an understanding of the target phenomenon, qualitative researchers develop open-ended questions that are specific to the study (Roulston, 2013). In this study, the researcher developed his own open-ended, qualitative question that aimed to gain an understanding of the study participants’ lived experiences with Christian centered servant leadership and its ability to facilitate organizational change.
During data collection in this study, the researcher’s role was to conduct and record each of the 20 interviews. In addition to administrating the research questions, the researcher also
observed the study participants, making note of any body language or non-verbal communication that was conveyed during the interview. The data gained, through both verbal and non-verbal communication, will be key to answering the research questions that were presented in Part 1 (Braun & Clarke, 2013).
The researcher developed a list of open-ended questions to probe the experiences of participants. In addition, clarifying questions were part of the interview. While a complete interview guide has been included as Appendix A, there were several questions that were key and related directly to the research questions and problem statement. The following questions were primary in gaining an understanding of participants’ experiences with the target
phenomenon:
3. Please describe your experiences with organizational change.
4. Please describe your experiences with Christian centered servant leadership.
5. Please describe your view on Christian centered servant leadership versus other types of leadership.
Question three sought to gain an understanding of participants’ experience with
organizational change. Questions four and five were geared towards understanding the efficacy of Christian centered servant leadership versus other types of leadership methods.
In addition to the data collection process, the researcher engaged in the process of bracketing. Researchers use bracketing to address preconceived notions that may have a
pernicious effect on the outcome of the study (Sorsa, Kiikkala, & Åstedt-Kurki, 2015). In order to bracket, the researcher recorded his own thoughts and feelings regarding the studied
phenomenon prior to beginning each interview (Sorsa et al., 2015). Bracketing is meant to prevent the researcher from impacting his understanding of the lived experiences of study
participants. Further, bracketing leads to a deeper understanding of participants’ views, emotions, and experiences (Mungaray, 2017). In this study, the researcher bracketed in two ways. First, the researcher maintained a bracketing journal during data collection, analysis, and during the final research report. This journal included any occurrence of a bias or preconceived notion experienced by the researcher. Second, the researcher included everything that was bracketed in the final report. This allowed readers to be aware of the researcher’s bias as they read the report.
The researcher conducted each interview with the assistance of the interview
questionnaire, a recording device, and a laptop computer. The researcher also took handwritten notes during each interview taking care to not record any information that may have lead to the identification of study participants. These notes included nonverbal cues and body language; nonverbal information were used to assist in data analysis. Ultimately, all information pertaining to this study will be maintained on a password protected computer and destroyed after three years.
The researcher developed a series of qualitative, open-ended interview questions in an attempt to gain an understanding of the lived experiences and insights of the front-line store managers in the automotive aftermarket. Each interview was conducted in a semi-structured fashion. This approach allowed for an opportunity to ask clarifying and probing questions and for study participants to expound on any response they felt needed additional information. In addition, open-ended questions allowed for the researcher to gain a deep understanding of each participants’ experiences with the targeted phenomenon; researchers find open-ended questions far superior to closed-ended questions due to an inherent lack of limitation (Drew, 2014). The complete interview guide is included in the appendix.
Data collection technique. In order to collect the data necessary for this study, the researcher conducted interviews. The interviews were face-to-face at a location designated by the participant that were chosen during the initial contact. The researcher started each interview with a brief overview of the purpose of the study. This introduction also informed the participant of their right to withdraw from the study at any time. With the permission of the participants, the researcher recorded the entirety of each interview making notes to aid in data analysis. The interview consisted of the researcher administering each interview question, allotting participants ample time to respond, and asking follow-up questions to clarify any response not completely understood. Each interview was completely transcribed within one week. A copy of the transcript was made available to the participant so he or she could ensure its accuracy.
Data organization techniques. In order to organize the data, NVivo 12 was used. Once interviews were transcribed, they were coded to develop themes. The researcher determined the point of saturation for this study. Handwritten notes were organized from the interview. All data collected, raw and coded, were stored on a password protected external computer hard drive. All notes and the hard drive will be secured in a fireproof safe and maintained for a period of three years. After three years, all data will be electronically erased or shredded.
Data Analysis Technique
Once data collection was complete pursuant to the previously described process, the researcher began the task of data analysis. The analysis was completed manually and with the assistance of NVivo 12 as outlined by Moustakas (1994). The process used was as follows: list all data and assign groups, reduce the data in order to discover themes, group themes that were recurring, validate all themes were present in participant transcripts, develop textual descriptions for all themes, develop descriptions based on the previously developed textual descriptions, and
create textual-structural descriptions based on the prior two steps. Analysis of the data collected during qualitative research allows researchers the ability to gain a deeper understanding of the sourced information (St. Pierre & Jackson, 2014).
The researcher used a qualitative data analysis program to assist in coding data and developing themes from interview transcripts. Qualitative data analysis software allows the researcher to deepen understanding of the data due to improved thoroughness of the data analysis phase (Wood, Paulus, Atkins, & Macklin, 2015). The software chosen for this project was NVivo 12. Using NVivo 12, the researcher was able to code the raw data, annotate the coded data, and develop recurrent themes to enhance the understanding of transcript narratives. Using software, the researcher expects to be able to manage a larger volume of data while improving the overall accuracy of analytical efforts (Cope, 2014). After transcribing the recorded
interviews, the researcher will perform an initial manual analysis of the data as prescribed by Moustaka (1994). After manual analysis, the researcher uploaded each of the transcripts to NVivo 12 to allow for a thorough qualitative data analysis.
Qualitative, phenomenological research generates a tremendous amount of narrative data. In order to thoroughly understand the data, the researcher must reduce these data during the analysis phase (Blair, 2016). In order to better understand the data, researchers use coding. Coding involves grouping the data to identify themes and recurrent ideas expressed by multiple participants (Blair, 2016). In fact, coding should be the first step taken to reduce information and identify themes (Moustakas, 1994). In order to identify themes, the researcher in the study looked for phrases that were consistent in multiple interviews. Once themes were identified, the researcher used member checking to ensure the analysis properly represents the experiences of the participants.
Reliability and Validity
Reliability and validity have different connotations in qualitative research than in quantitative research (Creswell, 2003). Even still, qualitative researchers must take care to ensure the reliability and validity of any study performed. In order to ensure reliability and validity in the study, the data collection process was consistent from one interview to the next. Failure on the part of the researcher to consistently conduct the interview in the same fashion each time can skew results (Noble & Smith, 2015). In qualitative research, reliability ensures that other researchers will achieve the same results when duplicating the methods just as the original researcher has done (Gay, 1987; Wiktorowicz, 2017). To ensure reliability, researchers employ methods such as member checking to ensure the transcribed narrative is consistent with intent of intent and experience of the participant (Sigstad, 2014).
Qualitative research such as this study should include two measures of validity: internal and external (Maxwell, 2005). Validity is regarded as a key attribute of qualitative research. In order to determine validity, researchers use logic, verification, and the ability to replicate the study as a whole (Marshall & Rossman, 2015). In quantitative studies, researchers look to determine a causal relationship. Further, generalizability refers to the how well the findings of the study can be applied to individual outside the study. However, validity in qualitative research refers to how appropriate the tools and processes are at measuring the target phenomenon (Leung, 2015).
Reliability. Reliability in quantitative research refers to the exact repeatability of the study. However, the use of such a strict definition for the concept of reliability in qualitative research is epistemologically unreasonable (Grossoehme, 2014). Instead, qualitative researchers seek to achieve consistency in the entire process. It is reasonable for qualitative researchers to
tolerate a level of variance so long as the methodology is consistent, and the data are
ontologically comparable (Silverman, 2018). Silverman (2018) continued by suggesting a five- pronged approach to ensuring reliability in qualitative research: data analysis, data comparison, consistent data usage, inclusion of data that are counter to emergent themes, and the inclusion of tables. Researchers must constantly compare extracted data to the source (Guercini, 2014). Further, the concept of dependability in qualitative research is regarded as comparable to